


An Unexpected Insight

by aichan11



Category: Mr. Love, 恋与制作人 | Liàn Yǔ Zhì Zuò Rén | Mr. Love: Queen's Choice (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-05
Updated: 2021-02-05
Packaged: 2021-03-16 22:48:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,935
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29215176
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aichan11/pseuds/aichan11
Summary: A/N: I interrupt the normal (if sparse and irregular) fanfics with a Mr Love fanfic I wrote for the Mid Year Contest! This is my first Mr Love fanfic and it didn’t go through a beta-reader, so please be kind to me.It’s a story I made up for Gavin and MC’s high school time inspired by the Campus Date. Comments and constructive criticism are welcome as per usual :D
Relationships: Bái Qǐ | Gavin/Reader
Comments: 1
Kudos: 2





	An Unexpected Insight

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: I interrupt the normal (if sparse and irregular) fanfics with a Mr Love fanfic I wrote for the Mid Year Contest! This is my first Mr Love fanfic and it didn’t go through a beta-reader, so please be kind to me. 
> 
> It’s a story I made up for Gavin and MC’s high school time inspired by the Campus Date. Comments and constructive criticism are welcome as per usual :D

There was something about autumn that tinged everything with a touch of warm color, like a painter had brushed everything with a brush dipped in yellow-orange paint. The park that I cut through on the way back from school was an especially good example of this. Home to countless trees shedding their leaves, the whole scenery before me was bathed in a luxurious golden hue. However, today, there was an extra delight waiting for me amongst the beautiful yellow and red leaves.

As I passed by one of the few maidenhair trees in the park, my ears perked up at a series of high-pitched barking. My head spun wildly around, trying to locate the source of the sound until I found it under the shade provided by the leafy branches. “Oh, look at you!” I squealed at the sight of a small puppy in a box next to the tree trunk, yapping for all it was worth. Running towards it at first, then as I approached I slowed my steps down, gauging its reaction to my proximity. Thankfully, it didn’t seem scared of me at all. Rather, its response was the opposite. If dogs could smile, this one definitely was, and I could see excitement dancing in its dark brown eyes.

Crouching down next to the box, I held out my hand for it to sniff. The box was quite large, and the tiny thing could barely hook its front paws over the edge. Nevertheless, it leaned forward to smell my hand, and quickly started to lick my palm all over. The sensation of its wet, rough tongue made me giggle uncontrollably. “Hey, that tickles!”

After spending some time petting and playing with it, I gathered the courage to lift the puppy out of the box. It was only then that I noticed two bowls; one white and the other blue in color in the corner of the thick cardboard box. “So, someone is taking care of you, after all,” I commented to no one in particular, noting that some of the water and food left in the bowls had been consumed. Now that it was free of its four-walled confines, the puppy was even more excitable than before. It was hard for me to double-check under its fur, but I confirmed it after struggling a little with the puppy; it wasn’t wearing any collar.

For a while I played with the adorable baby dog, letting it stretch its legs for a bit by allowing it to run around the tree. As the sky was growing dark, I had to regretfully return it to its box and rush back home. “You don’t have an owner, but someone is looking after you,” I thought to myself as I walked away. “Hmm.”

Every afternoon after school was spent in the park with the little puppy from then on. I refrained from giving it a name, wary of growing attached to it. Yet I found myself falling in love with it anyway. Naturally, I wondered who was feeding it. The bright yellow ginkgo leaves were gradually making their way towards the ground as days passed, and at some point, I noticed that the big box was newly lined with some thick blanket, giving the puppy warmth in the progressively cooling days and nights. However, I never managed to even catch a glimpse of this mysterious caretaker. My curiosity on the matter grew each day, but I always managed to miss this person somehow, even when I came earlier than I usually would on the weekend.

The golden opportunity for me to unravel this mystery popped up unexpectedly just two days later, when I was stopping by on my way home from school as usual. Lifting the puppy up into my arms, I immediately noticed that the bowls had not been filled like they usually were. “Oh!” I eyed the empty containers more excitedly than I would look at bowls filled with diamonds. “The person didn’t come here yet?” I asked the puppy. As if it understood me perfectly, it let out a sad whine, making my heart cry out for it. “Are you hungry?” It tilted its head adorably in response, but of course, it didn’t say anything. Then it began to fight its way out of my embrace.

At first, I was confused. I thought we had built a rapport this past ten days, so why did it want to get away from me? “Oh! Do you need to relieve yourself?” Sure enough, once I lowered it down to the ground, it quickly sped off to the tree after next to do its business. Watching from afar, I chuckled to myself. Good thing I figured it out in time, otherwise it might have let itself go all over me. As I kept an eye on it so that it didn’t venture out of my sight, I considered buying it some food. But what if the unknown person who had been feeding it came while I was gone? Crossing my arms and tapping my foot in thought, I turned the options over and over in my mind. I’d been dying to meet this person ever since I’d met the puppy. On the other hand, I didn’t want the poor animal to starve.

I stood there for a while, watching the baby dog prance around, then finally decided on a compromise. There was still over an hour before I had to go home. At the moment, the puppy seemed more eager to play around than it was to eat. So, I made up my mind to wait until the very last minute possible for the person to show up, giving myself just enough time to run and buy some food if he or she ended up not coming. Recalling the nearest pet store that I knew, I mentally calculated the distance and time it would take for me to run to the shop and get back.

Resolution made, I sighed in relief, taking a seat on the bench conveniently placed underneath the lush branches. Before I knew it, I had fallen asleep. The pleasant weather and peaceful atmosphere at the park made it the perfect place for an afternoon nap.

If I hadn’t heard some rustling and felt a light breeze sweeping over me, I might never have woken up until it was too late. As it was, the chill jolted me awake, reaching to wrap my light sweater more tightly around my body reflexively. My sudden jostling must have been startling, because it caused a jumping movement next to me, drawing my attention immediately.

Crouched down beside me was a young man with straight brown hair, sporting the uniform from the same high school I attended, scratching the puppy under its chin. At first, I couldn’t see his face, and when I peered downwards to take a peek, he dipped his head down even further, groaning out loud at being discovered. Deciding that revealing his identity was inevitable, he lifted his chin up. Upon seeing his face, my heart leapt with shock, then my head tilted in confusion and after that, my body contracted a little with fear.

“Uhm… Gavin?” He and I weren’t in the same class, so I’d heard about him from other students rather than know him personally. The things I’d heard so far weren’t very encouraging. He was infamous as a troublemaker, not only in our school, but it was considered general knowledge around the whole area. My classmates had whispered among themselves about how he was always getting into fights, not just with fellow students and teachers, but with the less savory characters around the neighborhood as well. These gossips were repeated loudly in my head like an involuntary warning siren as my eyes looked him over. Fresh cuts and bruises on his face and hands were indisputable proof of the rumors. Did he just get out of a fight? Even though I was scared, I managed to ask, “Are you okay?”

“Huh?” He responded, befuddled by my question. Unsure how to answer him, I started to reach for one of the cuts on his handsome face. Before I could touch him, he backed away, as though he was the more frightened one between the two of us. “Yeah, I’m fine,” he said gruffly.

Not daring to prod him further, I gazed around for another topic. “Oh!” I saw that the bowls had been filled up. “Are you the one who has been feeding the puppy?”

Instead of answering, he bristled, like a threatened dog. It made me want to laugh, despite myself. Gavin was unexpectedly cute. “What’s it to you?”

“I was just wondering why he hasn’t taken it home, instead of taking the time to come and feed it here every day,” I shrugged, pretending I didn’t know it was him.

“My apartment doesn’t allow pets,” Gavin answered, then flinched when he realized that he’d given himself away. Turning to me defensively, he reflected the question back to me. “What about you? Why haven’t you taken it home instead of playing with it here every day?”

My mouth gaped in surprise. Had he been watching me? I never noticed. However, I knew that he would probably jump ten paces back if I let on that I’d noticed his slip-up. While that would be beyond amusing to watch, strangely I didn’t want to drive him away. “My father is allergic to fur.” I smiled apologetically. “It’s really nice of you to look after it, though.”

Gavin stood up, refusing to meet my eyes. Was he… blushing? It must be the wind, I told myself. It was pretty windy today. My cheeks felt a little raw from it, too. At least he wasn’t running away. After a pause, he cleared his throat. “The shelter looks overcrowded. And this puppy is already so tiny. If I let it get any skinnier than it is, some naughty kids and bigger dogs are gonna bully it.”

Lips pursed, I looked down at the puppy, noting the happy wag in its tail, its sleek coat of fur and healthy body. It wasn’t skinny at all. I smiled to myself. Although I’d heard stories about Gavin bullying weaker students, here he was, wanting to ensure that a defenseless animal wouldn’t get hurt. “You’re really kinder than I thought.”

“What?”

I lifted my chin up, then shook my head, not wanting to repeat what I’d murmured under my breath. “Can I help you take care of it?” I asked without much thought. Although Gavin still scared me, I couldn’t deny that he was intriguing.

“There’s no need for two people to care for it. Plus, I found someone who’s gonna take it in after they finish renovating their house in a week or two,” Gavin’s answer was blunt and reflexive, as if he was used to being on his own and pushing everyone away. He paused, then stole a look at me from the corner of his eye. “But if you really want to… I guess that’s fine.” His agreement brought a smile to my face, but it made him pricklier than ever. “I gotta go.” Without giving me a chance to answer, he dashed off like the wind, falling gingko leaves fluttering about in his wake.

I watched him leave in silence, immersed in thought. Gavin might be dangerous and unapproachable, but maybe he wasn’t as horrible as the rumors made him out to be. Even if he wasn’t kind to humans, at least he was kind to animals. Someone like that surely couldn’t be all that bad.


End file.
